Alone
by AlePh27
Summary: In Zanarkand Auron began to undertand the concept of being alone...all changed in a flash of blue.


Disclaimer: *****sigh* His manliness Auron doesn't belong to me but to Square Enix...same for Tidus, sadly. I use them just to please my sadistic self.

Notes: I wrote this for the 50_episodes on the lj. N-006 Alone

Unbetaed and major spoilers from all the game. This means the text is actually pretty shocking even if you know what happened in the game xD

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

The legendary guardian never labeled himself as a lonely person; in his life he always surrounded by others, his family, even for a very short time, comrades of Yevon and lastly, his friends, those special essences that made him change, making him understand better their own world. Opening his eyes. Friends to whom gave everything, even his life.

Even on the edge of his death he encountered a Ronso warrior named Khimarhi, who accepted his will and vowed to take care of the girl he entrusted to him, and Al Bhed that took care of him until the very end.

He didn't know the word 'alone' until he found himself in Zanarkand, or to be more correct, in the dream of the ancient city destroyed a thousand years before.

From the first time he went into the city he was amazed by all the lights, the sounds, the machines and the huge ammount of people just living together so differently from the ones in his Spira.

He had fuzzy emotions, dulled by his 'unsent' status, but he was determinated in any case to keep his word to Jecht's last dying wish. He was supposed to take are of Jecht's boy, nothing more nothing less, and that was more than enough for him, a task that was the only thing to keep him together along with his anger for his friends's useless deaths.

Right there, in Zanarkand, he begun to undertand the concept of being alone.

All changed in a flash of blue. He was wandering in that lively city, trying to find his way to Jecht's former home when a pair of eyes captured his attention among all the others; the sorrow and something he could not yet define were reflexed on them, eyes that were just wrong in a face of a child.

He couldn't stop but direct the gaze of his lonely eye to the figure of the young one who was separating himself from the crowd, and, before he could acknowledge his very own actions, Auron begun to follow him.

The child, probably seven or eight years old from what he could gather by sight, kept walking, never paying attention to the surroundings, the brown mop of hair covering his face that was bent down toward the streetwalk. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts or just little interested in what was happening

around him.

Auron finally realized that was still silently following him at a short distance when the boy turned abruptly in a dark alley and disappearing from the main, and lively, street.

"Why are you followin' me?" a quiet and, almost like, uninterested voice was heard by Auron when the latter approached the same turn "What are you, a buglar?A kidnapper?"

The legendary guardian gave credits to the attention, if not for his smart move**,** of the little guy halted a few feet from him, looking with an innocent yet strange curiosity at the guy dressed in the red coat. The warrior took notice of some details of the boy's face obscured by the shadows, studying him as his usual habit, warrior to the last end.

The youngster's posture was relaxed, a little too much for his liking, as he kept looking at him without being scared of the guardian's stature, longsword or scar, a behaviour one don't get often to see in a child that age.

"Aren't you supposed to 'not to speak with strangers'? " Auron found himself asking back, earnesty curious of the way that boy was acting " Didn't your parents tell you not to wander alone and chat with someone you don't know? "

Maybe one of the longest sentence he ever heard himself say, but aimed to understand the situation and maybe the way these people lived around there, since it was already obvious that wasn't Spira.

Silence surrounded the two for a few seconds, the younger taken back from the question was now pouting slightly annoyed before actually shrugging " So they didn't. Watcha for ya?" paused and then again "Why 'r you here?"

"I'm searching for something...someone actually " Auron answered honestly, mentally waiting for the boy to misunderstand his words and scream for help.

After all it was his first time in Zanarkand, and he could as well write a new record on his book.

The latter instead remained in silence then shrugged again "Well, good luck then" whispered and turned back walking more in dept of the byroad, leaving a bewildered Auron behind.

What was that boy thinking? Was he a different kind of man he probably could have taken advantage of such a stituation to hurt him, or worse. Were all the people around there this confident, or it was just him?

His dark eyebrows twitched, looking the youngster slowly walking away, deciding that was not his problem after all, he should just leave the child be.

Frowning his resolution lasted no more that a few seconds before he found himself, again, going after him.

"Wait kid" he called out to the other who stopped and turned his head back to look at the warrior approaching "Do you know where I can find the house of a man called Jecht?" asked finally, trying to reassure the boy of his good intentions and maybe getting directions for his next and only stop. Maybe he could even persuate the youngster to let walk him safe back home, he just could not let him go alone like that.

The reaction he got was quite the opposite. The blue eyes widened with surprise, then anger and pain flashed simultaneously in them "So that's why you'r followin' me! " he nearly screamed, his little frame trembling for all the emotions showing now in his gaze, hidden by a faint trace of tears the boy was

holding back "He's not back and hopefully he won't... ever again!".

Had Auron thought he was expressionless? Never mind.

The guardian stood there in silence, unable to understand what was actually happening, the reason for all that hatred toward a person just named...then, tentatively, his deep voice gave words to his supposition

"Are you...Tidus? "

He could not hope that fate or luck just blessed him to find his soon to be charge right on the first try but he asked anyway, waiting a reply, affirmative or negative that could be. The boy bolted and took on running away without other words, running feet resounding in the dark, separating Auron from whatever hope he had for an answer.

This time he didn't follow along, he sighed and walked back to the main street, dazzled again by lights, frown still in place while he wandered around in his search.

Those pained aqua eyes still haunted the back of his mind.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

The following day Auron finally arrived at the dock where some guy told him Jecht's houseboat was located, before bursting in a cry fit and mumbling how everyone in Zanarkand missed their lost blitzball hero.

The day was bright, maybe a little too much, but the sight of the sea kissed by the sun was astounding even in that world. The former guardian watched the area, having already memorized a good amount of streets in the area, searching with his eye Jecht's former place. In the end he found it, or at least one pretty similar to the description that was given to him, so he walked to the door and knocked twice on the hard surface before freezing on the spot, awaiting. He made sure his longsword was a good part hidden by his body and secured on his back; he really hoped it woudn't scare Jecht's wife to death because, as much as he had seen in those few hours, none in the city walked around with such a huge weapons. Or any at all.

He could hear the sound of the waves and the cry of seagulls but nothing else.

Frowing, he repeated the motion but he still didn't get any kind of reply. Maybe they were out?

He begun to pull back, his mind coming to the conclusion he had to come again in a while, when he saw in the corner of his only eye a familiar figure. He stopped then, directing his full attention to the brown haired boy he saw the night before, now walking in his direction in the very same dejected posture.

How high could now be the chance that this boy was actually his charge? Very.

He studied better his facial lineaments thanks to the sunlight, trying to catch similarities between his best friend and this child, but not finding much.

The boy in question, feeling observed, glanced up finding on his way the same guy wearing the red coat; he glanced swiftly at the houseboat as to assure himself it was still there, then kept on walking, pretending to ignore the blazing red spot in the middle of the road.

" Tidus " Auron whispered to himself, giving voice to the name that finally had a face.

"Where is your mother? " he asked in the end, his deep voice reaching the boy who, surprised by the sudden personal question, glared at him assuming a defensive tone "Who are you? What do you care about my mum?"

"My name is Auron" he paused looking around as to search for a feminine figure " I am...was a friend of your father"

"A...friend?" came the late question imbued with mistrust, the innocent curiosity of the previous night definetely gone after a single word "I never saw you before"

"I came here to watch over you " the guardian told him abruptly cutting off all attempts to explain that could lead to unpleasant questions, at least for now.

"I don't need anyone! " the child, no, Tidus yelled trying to rush away and escape toward the safety of his home. But this time Auron was ready. His gloved hand grabbed the boy's hood effectively halting him in his actions, leaving the boy roaring in his high voice.

"Where is your mother" the older man asked again with a firm tone, this time fully intended to have an answer.

Tidus locked gaze with Auron's brown eye in a way the former monk could only compare to that of a wounded beast in the process of attacking for one last time; but then the blue, light blue actually, eyes filled up with tears and such despair that Auron could not move.

"Lemme go. I don't care. I don't need you... I don't need anyone!"

The boy wailed while he slided down, trembling and whispering those words like an endless prayer, hipcups shaking his little frame while Auron was trying to understand the strange feeling the little boy was giving off.

He could understand the anger, Jecht had warned him, but this?

He still held the boy, fearing he would escape as soon as he got distracted, unnecessary precaution because the boy was still curled down, very much distressed.

Auron frowned, for once not knowing what to do. He was a warrior, he knew how to slice fiends and protect summoners, he wasn't prepared to reassure young boys; so he did the only thing he could think of: he knelt down and slid his left arm out of the red coat, slowly putting his hand on the trembling mop of hair and gently giving a few taps on the soft locks in a conforting, he hoped, way.

"I'm here to protect you" he repeated quietly but without any trace of doubt in his voice, watching intently that child Jecht left in his care.

He didn't have to wait long, he found his arms full of an openly crying Tidus, small arms holding wherever he could get onto, so tightly yet so weakly.

With that unthinkable action, Auron finally found his answer. His mind recalled the same boy walking, head down, in a city full of life, wandering in dark streets without caring for any danger...

_Himself walking in that foreign place, in a Zanarkand that never sleeps..._

_Alone. _

...getting angry for a simple word, his father's name, the same man that left, even if unwillingly, his wife and son...

_Himself charging Yunalesca with furious yell, blinded by the sorrow of his loss..._

_Alone._

...clinging to a nearly complete stranger and keeping muttering 'I don't need anyone' while shivers run throught his body and his eyes filled up with crystal tears.

_Himself feeling a strange warmth in his soul while helding the bundle of shivers in his arms._

Finally Auron understood the meaning of that word he had never associated himself with.

Alone.

Awkwardly, he tightened that kind of a shy hug, letting the boy cry on his strong chest, sometimes stroking his head, but never saying anything.

Finally the trembling subsided and puffy red eyes searched Auron's only one in a mute question. The warrior then let himself smile in the secrecy of his collar and relaxed his grip on Tidus.

"Since I am here to stay...will you mind showing me around?" he asked truthfully, calmy waiting for the younger one to understand. And then, for the first time, Tidus smiled at him with his drying up tears glistening on his cheeks.

The realization hit him suddenly...they, both, were not alone anymore.


End file.
